Silver James's Reviews > Cast in Shadow

2021: It seems I'm doing a relisten--at least for a time. That's okay. These early books are a joy.

2017 update: I'm not sure why I started to reread this series, but I'm glad I did. Tumbling into the world of Elantra and shaking my head over Kaylin's antics is an exercise in enjoyment. I'm also slowly adding the books to my private library in Kindle and Audio.

How did this book and series get under my radar? Sadly, it did, but happily--because it did--I can now binge read the series and wait for the new book to come out later this year. I caught notice of it when it crossed my monitor as a Goodreads Deal of the Day.

For me, this book is fantasy at it's best. The world unfolds slowly, like a rosebud, but there are thorns for Kaylin Neya, the young human protagonist. Raised as an orphan "across the river" from the imperial city in a fiefdom ruled by an outcaste lord, Kaylin comes to the attention of the Hawklord, the Aerian in charge of the Hawks, who make up 1/3 of the "police force" in Elantra (along with the Swords and the Wolves). The series follows Kaylin as she transverses a life fraught with its own personal pitfalls in a land full of magic, Dragons, Leontines, Aerians, Barrani, and others--with humans at the bottom of the food chain.

The writing is lyrical--at times dark and full of shadows, other times it is musical and soaring like the Aerians who take to the skies. If magical fantasy is your catnip, give this series a try!